MANILA, Philippines -- After spending most of UAAP Season 82 in the shadows of his more heralded teammates, veteran forward Zachary Huang burst into the spotlight in University of Santo Tomas' (UST) game against University of the East (UE) on Wednesday.

In his final season for the Growling Tigers, Huang exploded for a career-high 22 points, shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc as UST demolished the Red Warriors, 101-73. The 6-foot-4 forward was at his best in the third quarter, when his back-to-back triples handed UST its biggest lead, 72-38.

"Masaya ako," Huang said of his superb performance. "But I have to give credit sa teammates ko because they were looking for me early in the game, and they were playing unselfish basketball. And ano lang, lahat kami nagtutulong sa court, so ayun."

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Huang's 22-point outing was an unexpected development. The veteran had been a silent operator for UST this season, opting to focus on defensive duties, while players like Soulemane Chabi Yo, Rhenz Abando, and Mark Nonoy took charge on offense.

Before Wednesday's game, Huang's highest scoring output was just 9 points.

There have been no complaints from Huang, however. Instead, the veteran understands why his minutes and his numbers have dipped in Season 82.

"For me, it's not about me kasi," he explained. "I'm willing to step back if that's what the team needs. If my teammates are more talented than me, then I'm willing to step down as long as we get the win."

This mindset has worked for Huang and for UST in Season 82. They currently have a 5-4 win-loss record, good for solo third place in the league. As it stands, they are just half a game behind University of the Philippines for second place.

Huang is embracing this role for the Tigers, and is ready to keep providing the steady, veteran leadership for a team that features nine rookies. While he is not UST's team captain -- that honor went to CJ Cansino -- it is clear that Huang still takes pride in setting an example for his younger teammates.

"I'm not really a vocal person," he freely admits.

"Pero I want to show my teammates and be a good example. So I show them that we build good habits every day in practice, and outside the court, we go together. 'Yung mga ganoon, kasi I'm not really a vocal (guy)," he explained.

But he is also more than willing to show what he can do on the court, much like he did against UE. He was especially proud of his three-point shooting. Entering the game, Huang had shot just 7 three-pointers this season, making 3 of them. Last season, he made only one of nine triples all year long.

"I always want my game to be complete," said Huang. "Last year, I barely took any threes."

"Right now, coach is always telling us and preaching to us na, don't limit yourself," he added. "There's always room to improve, and basketball is a game of repetitions."

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